Creating a polished and professional Google Slides presentation doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. With a few simple tips, you can design a customizable Google Slides template that looks great for free.

Start With a Blank Template

When creating a new template, begin by opening Google Slides and selecting “Blank” to start fresh. This will allow you to build your template from scratch without having to work around an existing design.

Pro Tip: Name your template something descriptive like “Company Name Presentation Template” to easily identify it later.

Edit the Master Slide

The key to creating templates in Google Slides is editing the master slide. This is the base slide that every other slide in your presentation will pull formatting from.

To access the master slide, click “Slide” in the top menu bar and select “Edit Master.” Here you can:

Add your logo, company name, or other branding

Change background colors or images
Adjust fonts, sizes, and colors to match your brand
Add reusable footer text

Pro Tip: Make sure to keep font choices and color palettes consistent on every master layout for a cohesive look.

Create Custom Layouts

In addition to the master slide, you can also create custom layouts to reuse. Click the plus icon in the toolbar to add new slide layouts to your template.

Some layout ideas include:

Title and bullet points
Title and image/graphic
Section header

Title and chart/graph

Build out 4-6 custom layouts you can use to quickly build presentations in the future.

Add Template Assets

Enhance your Google Slides template by adding assets like:

Logos and graphics: Include versions of your logo for reuse, along with any graphics, icons or images.
Color palette: Add your official brand colors to easily maintain consistency.
Custom fonts: Upload any branded fonts your company uses to carry over that look.

Photos: Have a library of high-quality stock photos to pull from.

Save as a Template

Once your template looks complete, the last step is saving it to easily access later.

Go back to the main Google Slides screen and, in the top right, select the three dots for “More” then choose “Save as template.” You can now create new presentations from this template anytime.

Tips for Customizing Templates

When you build a presentation from a template you’ve created, there are a few ways to customize:

Edit Master: To update branding, fonts, colors, etc globally
Custom Layouts: Mix and match your preset layouts

Assets: Replace graphics and photos quickly
Individual Slides: Unique tweaks like text colors or shape fills

Investing time in creating a versatile Google Slides template will make building presentations faster and brand consistent. Follow the tips above to design your own templates that elevate your slide decks.